


Lunch is for Ladies

by Fabrisse



Category: Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Genre: Don Lockwood is discussed, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-22 07:28:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17055713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fabrisse/pseuds/Fabrisse
Summary: Cosmo seems to have been avoiding them, so Kathy invites him to lunch at a tearoom.





	Lunch is for Ladies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [allyndra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/allyndra/gifts).



Cosmo looked around the place and realized he and the Captain were the only men there. 

“I don’t suppose you’ve seen Kathy Selden today,” Cosmo asked the gentleman.

“You must be Mister Brown. Follow me, sir.”

They walked through the ladies lunching and up two steps. There was Kathy in a u-shaped booth. “Cosmo!” she said smiling brightly. 

Cosmo took her hand, and they kissed on both cheeks.

“I’ll leave you then. Curtains opened or closed Miss Selden?”

“Open, Jenkins. Don’t want rumors to get started.”

“Of course not, Miss.” To Cosmo he added, “There are larger plates and sandwiches available if you’d prefer. Just ask for the evening menu.”

“Thank you, Jenkins, was it? I have too many fingers for finger sandwiches.” He sat down and turned to Kathy. “So, how is my favorite movie star.”

“Don’s fine. He misses you, though.”

Cosmo rolled his eyes. “I told him: ‘I can stop starving and write that symphony.’ I’ve been busy. Surely, he’s been busy, setting up a wedding can’t be simple even with all the studio help.”

“Well, he misses having his best man around. If you’re not careful, he’ll let me put you in pink and lavender.”

The waiter arrived and presented Cosmo with the evening menu. “The roast beef sandwich. Do you have rye bread?”

“We do, sir. How well done do you like your beef?”

“Rare. Horseradish on one side, mustard on the other. I’ll have the coleslaw with it.”

“Very good, sir. Miss?”

“I’m sorry, Kathy, I assumed you’d already ordered.”

She covered his hand with hers. “Don’t worry, Cosmo. I’ll have a cup of the borscht and the smoked fish finger sandwich assortment.”

“Cucumbers and tomatoes included?”

“Yes, please. And an iced tea.”

“Would sir care for a drink?”

“Sir would like a rye whiskey, but since prohibition, he’ll settle for iced tea. Oh, and a cup of that borscht sounds good, too.”

The waiter nodded and left.

They both leaned back and looked at each other with a smile.

“You know,” Cosmo said, “Pink and lavender flatter my complexion. If you want revenge, chartreuse makes me look like old cheese.”

Kathy laughed. “It doesn’t do much better for me. And I promise you’ll be in a lovely shade of blue to bring out your eyes.”

“Well, the studio might not like it if I upstage the groom.”

“Don could stand to be upstaged occasionally. I love him, but he has enough ego for all three of us.”

“I blame Lena. No particular reason. I just like blaming her.”

Kathy smiled. “I wish we hadn’t ended her career.”

“She has a brain under those bleach blonde curls. Her real estate portfolio rivals William Randolph Hearst’s, and she owns blue chip stocks with Howard Hughes and AT&T. Lena Lamont will be just fine.”

“I’m glad. Though I admit, I had some satisfaction from that debacle.”

“Only some? Don must be losing his touch.”

They caught each other’s eyes and burst out laughing.

“We are staying on the right side of the line, just barely. Fortunately, the wedding’s not too far away.”

“That blush is quite fetching, Miss Selden,” Cosmo said. 

Their borscht arrived and once the waiter had left, Cosmo said, “Seriously, Kathy, why did you invite me today?”

“Do you think I can find flowers in this color for the wedding?”

“Potted fuchsias on the table for the reception?”

“Perfect.” She sipped her soup while she thought. “We miss you. Don misses his best friend. I miss you because you’re you. And you’ve been avoiding us.”

Cosmo didn’t deny it. “You need some time to be yourselves. Don’s not easy to get to know -- though you’ve managed it faster than anyone since we were kids -- and he needs to know you.”

The waiter cleared their consomme cups and placed their sandwiches in front of them.

Once he was out of earshot, Kathy said, “How can I get to know Don without knowing you?”

“Uh, Kathy…”

“Cosmo, I know you love him, just like I do.”

“As long as Don doesn’t.”

Kathy smiled as she bit into her smoked trout finger sandwich. “Of course he does. He loves you, too. I asked him if, during all that time on the road together, you two had ever…. But apparently not.”

“There wasn’t a town we went through that Don couldn’t find a girl. I don’t mean he….”

Kathy laughed. “You _do_ mean he was promiscuous. I worked that out before I agreed to marry him. And he knows I’ll be in Reno so fast that I’ll be the first person to break the sound barrier if he tries that after we’re married. The one exception to that is you.”

“Kathy.”

“Cosmo.”

“Don’s never been interested in me like that.”

Kathy shook her head. “You’re the only man he’s been interested in like that. Why do you think he found so many girls in all those small towns? It’s a risk, I know, but he’s worth it.”

“And what about you?”

“Are you interested in women?” she asked quietly.

“Some. Not just because they’re safer than men. Don’s never been … I mean, I’ve found men occasionally, when I was lonely. But I’ve also found women.” He was staring at his plate as if he’d never seen a roast beef sandwich before.

“And me?”

“If Don hadn’t been interested, I’d’ve checked every cake in town for you myself.”

“Then be part of us. We can pretend you live in the large guest house. It’ll give us cover and you’ll have it for privacy and that symphony you want to write. What actually happens in any of our bedrooms is no one’s business but ours.” When Cosmo opened his mouth to say something, she continued, “And Don knows that we’re here and exactly what I’m suggesting. We’d have suggested it together, but you kept turning down our invitations to dinner.”

“You’re about to be a new wife. This is … “

“I couldn’t be a happy wife if my husband was unhappy. Besides, it may take both of us to keep his head from swelling so much he can’t fit into the living room. _The Dancing Cavalier’s_ success has revitalized the studio and his career, and he won’t let J.B. forget it.”

Cosmo chuckled. “I can certainly help you with that.”

“So all you need to do now is tell me what kind of piano you want in the guest house, and help me handle the studio people who are trying to take over the wedding.”

“A baby grand will do, Kathy, darling. What about the studio people?”

“They’re trying to get me to have the most expensive bridal dress in the world -- even more lavish than Astrid, the Duchess of Brabant.”

“I know a guy in New York -- Orry-Kelly -- let me ask him to design something for you. He can do lavish, but if you talk to him on the phone, I’m sure he’ll come up with something stunning that’s more Kathy Selden than it is Monumental Pictures.”

“See, I knew I needed your help.”

“Kathy, are you really sure about this?”

“Cosmo, Don couldn’t be really happy without you, and neither could I. Now finish your sandwich. We have telegrams to send, studio people to talk back to, and Chinese food to pick up for dinner. Don will be thrilled to see you.”

“You’re a hell of a woman, Kathy Selden.”

Kathy gave him a dazzling grin. “You should meet the men in my life.”


End file.
